Seven Eritrean players fail to return home after international match

Seven players from the Eritrean football squad that scored a historic victory in Eswatini last week have failed to return home, a source close to the team has told the BBC. While some of their teammates flew back from Eswatini’s neighbour, South Africa, the seven are said to have absconded. There have been several cases when Eritreans competing in various sports have not gone home after international fixtures in recent years.

Rights groups have described the government in Asmara as highly repressive – a charge which the authorities reject. Despite its small population, hundreds of thousands of Eritreans have sought asylum abroad. The news of the players absconding will come as a blow to the team, which, following its 2-1 win in Eswatini and 4-1 victory on aggregate, wascelebrating a return to the qualifying group stages for the Africa Cup of Nationsfor the first time in 19 years.

Only 10 of the 24-man squad were based in Eritrea and just three of those players, including team captain Ablelom Teklezghi, have now returned, sources in Asmara told BBC Tigrinya. While it is unclear where the missing players have gone, reports say some of them have been seen in South Africa. Those who have absconded include goalkeeper Kubrom Solomon and veteran winger Medhanie Redie.

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Eritrea’s state-owned media outlets have been unusually quiet on the victorious team’s return, which would normally be accompanied by a big fanfare. Sources say preparations were made for a similar reception but was cancelled following news of the disappearance of the players.

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